This invention relates to a recreational raft, particularly to a floatation vehicle suitable for an amusement ride. The floatation vehicle of this invention is similar in use to the vehicle described in the application "Amusement Ride Loading Terminal", Ser. No. 473,812, Filed Mar. 9, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,886. However, certain significant improvements have been made which affect both the enjoyment of the ride and the safety of the amusement raft therein described.
In the amusement raft previously described, an annular bladder supports a center shell having seats peripherally spaced around the outer rim of the shell. In this configuration occupants are seated around the raft in a manner that they all faced toward the center. While this arrangement has certain advantages in maximizing the seating capacity and enhancing passenger communication, it has been found that significant disadvantages exist in the operation of this amusement raft. Because the raft is designed primarily for amusement and not for sport, the raft must be designed to be as safe as possible. With passengers facing inward, an abrupt impact of the vehicle against a object in the water course, could cause the unwary occupant, whose back was to the object, to fall out of the raft, or, suffer an injury to the back or to the head. The stability of the vehicle is also diminished. By the weight being distributed around the periphery of the raft, sudden shifts in distribution of the weight may cause excessive tipping.
Additionally, the enjoyment of the ride is somewhat diminished by the inability of the occupants to directly see outward from the vehicle, or react immediately to a preceived threat of danger, whether real of imaginary.
These disadvantages in the existing design of the raft have been avoided by the improved design of the circular amusement raft that includes additional desirable features as described hereafter.